British supernatural anthology series which airs its episodes at Christmas, the majority based on short stories by the master of the English ghost story and the father of folk horror, M. R. James.

The series was inspired by Whistle and I’ll Come to You (1968), based on a James story and written and directed by Jonathan Miller for the documentary series Omnibus. Lawrence Gordon Clarke was thus inspired to create this series in the spirit of telling supernatural tales at Christmas, which was the context in which most of James’ stories were originally debuted, and directed all but the final episode of the original run as well as writing the first two. The series was revived sporadically between 2005 – 2013, with Mark Gatiss writing and directing every episode since 2013 and having fought to keep it going regularly since 2018.

Having been shot on location on 16mm film, the original run and the Omnibus film stand as not just some of the greatest supernatural television but among the best horror cinema the UK has ever produced, and in keeping with the original stories are key parts of the era’s first wave of folk horror.

This archive includes all 18 episodes which have aired as of 2024, plus the Omnibus version of Oh Whistle… which is typically grandfathered in. That and the first 10 episodes are taken from the recent BFI Blu-Ray releases, which remastered the 20^th century episodes in 2K from the original 16mm film negatives, and feature commentary tracks from critics and authors.

See also the 2013 documentary M. R. James: Ghost Writer, presented by Mark Gatiss, which aired alongside his adaptation of The Tractate Middoth.

Episodes

00. Whistle and I’ll Come to You (Omnibus, 07/05/68) Written and directed by Jonathan Miller, based on Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad by M. R. James

01. The Stalls of Barchester (24/12/71) Written and directed by Lawrence Gordon Clarke, based on The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral by M. R. James

02. A Warning to the Curious (24/12/72) Written and directed by Lawrence Gordon Clarke, based on A Warning to the Curious by M. R. James

03. Lost Hearts (25/12/73) Directed by Lawrence Gordon Clarke, written by Robin Chapman, based on Lost Hearts by M. R. James

04. The Treasure of Abbot Thomas (23/12/74) Directed by Lawrence Gordon Clarke, written by John Bowen, based on The Treasure of Abbot Thomas by M. R. James

05. The Ash Tree (23/12/75) Directed by Lawrence Gordon Clarke, written by David Rudkin, based on The Ash-tree by M. R. James

06. The Signalman (22/12/76) Directed by Lawrence Gordon Clarke, written by Andrew Davies, based on The Signal-man by Charles Dickens

07. Stigma (28/12/77) Directed by Lawrence Gordon Clarke, written by Clive Exton

08. The Ice House (25/12/78) Directed by Derek Lister, written by John Bowen

09. A View from a Hill (23/12/05) Directed by Luke Watson, written by Peter Harness, based on A View from a Hill by M. R. James

10. Number 13 (22/12/06) Directed by Pier Wilkie, written by Justin Hopper, based on Number 13 by M. R. James

11. Whistle and I’ll Come to You (24/12/10) Directed by Andy de Emmony, written by Neil Cross, based on Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad by M. R. James

12. The Tractate Middoth (25/12/13) Written and directed by Mark Gatiss, based on The Tractate Middoth by M. R. James

13. The Dead Room (24/12/18) Written and directed by Mark Gatiss

14. Martin’s Close (24/12/19) Written and directed by Mark Gatiss, based on Martin’s Close by M. R. James

15. The Mezzotint (24/12/21) Written and directed by Mark Gatiss, based on The Mezzotint by M. R. James

16. Count Magnus (23/12/22) Written and directed by Mark Gatiss, based on Count Magnus by M. R. James

17. Lot No. 249 (24/12/23) Written and directed by Mark Gatiss, based on Lot No. 249 by Arthur Conan Doyle

18. Woman of Stone (24/12/24) Written and directed by Mark Gatiss, based on Man-Size in Marble by E. Nesbit

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